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3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

C. E. SEARCH.

FEED GUTTER.

Patented Apr. 21,1891.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheen 2Q G. I'. SEARCH.

FEED GUTTER.

No. 450,732. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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(No Model.)

C. E. SEARCH. FEED CUTTER.

No. 450,732. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

CASPER F. SEARCII, OF APPLETON, IVISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE APPLE- TON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FEED-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,732, dated April 21, 1891.

Application filed December l, 1890- Serial No. 373,112. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that l, CASPER F. SEARCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of IVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed- Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvementsin thefeed-conveyer of feed-cutters used in the reduction of ear-corn 5 and my invention consists in the combination, with a reciprocating conveyer having flaring side walls, of feeding projections arranged upon the bottom of the conveyer in longitudinal rows, which projections serve when the conveyer is reciproeated to engage the ears of corn and cause them to assume a position lengthwise of the conveyer, so that their ends may be presented to the cutting-rolls. The daring sides of the conveyer partially support the ears of corn and prevent them from becoming choked or wedged in the bottom of the conveyer.

It is often desired to reduce bulky feed such as fodder and ear-corn in the husk-in these machines. In cutting up ear-corn it is usually shoveled into the upper or outer end of the reciprocating conveyer, and the ears fall in various positions. To adapt them to be grasped by the feed rollers, it is desirable that they be presented endwise instead of sidewise thereto, in order to prevent choking of the machine. To provide for a proper present-ation of the material to the feed-rolls, I secure feeding projections upon the bottom of the conveyer, said projections being arranged in rows longitudinallyof the said bottom and at suitable distances apart to provide longitudinal channels of less width than the average thickness of the ears of corn. These projections engage the material, and as the conveyer is reciprocated gradually work it into the channels and so on to the feedrolls. These projections may be in the form of roughened strips, or pins may be set inthe floor of the conveyer in rows, or the projections may be of anyother suitable character. I also construct the conveyer with flaring sides, so as to thereby partially support the material, whereby it is prevented from bccoming choked or wedged in the conveyer and its forward movement is facilitated.

I have determined byexperiment that if the conveyer be constructed with straight sides the weight of the corn so packs or chokes the ears in the bottom of the conveyer upon the serrated strips that the corn is moved backward by the backward movement of the conveyer; but when the sides of the conveyer are flared, as above described, the weight of the corn is borne mainly by these flaring sides and the mass of material is free to be urged forward by the forward movement and does not partake of the backward movement of the conveyer. I have also discovered by experiment that reciprocating feeding-bars will not work satisfactorily with ear-corn, and that by securing the feeding projections with the conveyer and making the sides thereof flaring there is no necessity for employing overhanging rakes or retarding-iingers to prevent the backward movement of the grain, and the use of these devices in a machine for cutting corn in the husk would be inexpedient, because they would tend to pack or wedge the corn upon the feeding projections in the bottom of the conveyer.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a feed-cutter in side elevation, a portion of the, feed-conveyer being broken away to show feeding-strips therein. Fig. 2 represents the feed-cutter in plan view. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the conveyer with flaring walls and feed-pins on its bottom; and Figs. et and 5 are longitudinal and sectional elevations, respectively, of the same.

Referring to the drawings, A is the feedbox; B, the feed-rolls, which may be driven by. any suitable gearing.

C is the main shaft, having sprocket-andchain connection with crank-shaft D 5 E, a pitman, which has one end connected to crank-shaft D and its other end to the reciprocating conveyer or trough F. Any other suitable connection from the main shaft to the conveyer may be used. As shown in Figs. l and 2, feeding-strips G are secured upon the bottom of the conveyer, forming chanels II, and the materials will be arranged longitudinally in the convcyer by the action of the strips. I prefer to form these strips With notched or serrated upwardly-projecting edges, and I find that when the points of the serrated edges are arranged in an oblique plane, as indicated by the dotted linesx 00, Fig. 2, the material lying transversely ofthe conveyer is rapidly caused to assume a longitudinal position in the intervening channels.` The strips G may be cast of the desired length and secured to the bottom of the conveyer by screws g or other fastenings.

Instead of the separate strips, pins I may be set in the licor f the conveyeitr'ough, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Said pins are a'rranged in rows, so as to form longitudinal channels in the same manner as do the strips G. These pins, as well as the serrated edges of the strips G, are forwardly inclined, so as to prevent any backward movement of the material.

-I claiml. In a feed-cutter for the reduction of earcorn, the combination of a reciprocating feedtrough having Haring side Walls and feeding projections upon its bottom, arranged in rows longitudinally of the conveyer and with a for- Ward inclination and providing intervening channels of less Width than, the thickness of the ears of corn, substantially as described.

2. In a feed-cutter for the reduction of earcorn, the combination of a reciprocating feed trough having flaring side Walls and feeding projections upon its bottom, arranged in rows longitudinally of the conveyer, theprojections lying in oblique planes and providing intervening channels of less Width than the thickness of the ears of corn, substantially as described.

csPEfn it SEARCH. 

